The present invention relates to a taping member supporting device for an electronic component feeding apparatus in an electronic component mounting machine for attaching or mounting electronic components on a printed circuit board, wherein a taping member having the electronic components thereon can be positively fed and a large number of electronic component feeding apparatuses is attached to the mounting machine in a widthwise direction thereof.
Heretofore, in a mounting machine for mounting electronic components on a printed circuit board, the electronic components have been generally fed to the mounting machine by using a taping member having a large number of the electronic components thereon with a predetermined pitch between the adjacent electronic components and wound around a tape reel many times. In order to increase a feeding efficiency of the electronic components to the printed circuit board, as shown in FIG. 4, a large number of electronic component feeding apparatuses G is provided on one or both sides of an electronic component mounting machine F.
The taping member t is continuously or intermittently fed toward the electronic component mounting machine F by a feeding device, not shown, and rotated together with the tape reel.
As a structure thereof, for example, a tape reel supporting device as shown in FIGS. 6(a), 6(b) has been known, wherein a supporting shaft 61 projecting from an arm 60 is inserted into a hole 64 of a core 63 of a tape reel 62 to rotationally support the tape reel.
However, in the structure, the arm 60 and the supporting shaft 61 project outwardly from a pair of flanges 65 of the tape reel 62, so that a minimum space between the adjacent tape reels 62 is determined by the lengths of the projected portions. Therefore, many taping members t can not be provided in a row.
Also, the tape reel is excessively rotated by an energy when the taping member is sequentially taken out by the feeding device, so that the stable feeding of the electronic components may not be obtained, or loosening of the taping member may happen during its feeding to thereby cause a trouble in feeding the taping member thereafter.
Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), a reel presser 67 is provided on the arm 60 to abut against edges of the flanges 65 of the tape reel 62 by a spring 66. Therefore, the brake is applied to the flanges 65 of the tape reel 62 to prevent the tape reel 62 from being excessively rotated.
However, since the necessary parts for the braking action are required, the device becomes complicated and a production cost for the reel brake is required.
In view of the above defects, it is an object of the present invention to provide a taping member supporting device for an electronic component feeding apparatus for supporting a taping member wound around a tape reel to be freely fed, wherein the taping member can be positively fed, and many electronic component feeding apparatuses are attached on one or both sides of an electronic component mounting machine in the widthwise direction thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a taping member supporting device for an electronic component feeding apparatus as stated above, wherein the taping member on the tape reel can be rotatably supported without loosening of the taping member due to an excessive rotation of the tape reel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a taping member supporting device for an electronic component feeding apparatus as stated above, wherein the taping member supporting device can be simplified and made compact.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.